Set, Hike!: Football-Inspired Names

Image via Wikipedia

The National Football League season has begun! To get things officially started, I thought I would gather up some names pulled from football for those who love the pigskin.

Player Names (this is just a small selection):

Bradshaw - As quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers for 14 years, Terry Paxton Bradshaw won four Super Bowls and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1989.

Brady - As quarterback for the New England Patriots over the past 11 years, Thomas Edward Patrick Brady has won three Super Bowls and has won both the NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP awards multiple times.

Manning - Peyton Williams Manning is currently in his second year as quarterback for the Denver Broncos, but previousy played 14 seasons with the Indianapolis Colts where he won a Super Bowl and was named MVP.

Marino - Playing 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Daniel Constantine "Dan" Marino, Jr. has held almost every passing record in the NFL. Even though he never won a Super Bowl, he is still considered one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time.

Montana - Joseph Clifford "Joe" Montana, Jr. won four Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers, where he played for 14 seasons. He was well known for his come-from-behind victories, especially being the one who threw "The Catch" in Super Bowl XXIII.

Namath - Known affectionately as "Broadway Joe", Joseph William "Joe" Namath played for the New York Jets for 12 years, where he won a Super Bowl.

Olsen - Merlin Jay Olsen played defense for 15 years with the Los Angeles Rams before becoming an actor.

Payton - As a player for the Chicago Bears for 13 years, Walter Jerry Payton won a Super Bowl and several MVP awards. He is remembered as one of the most prolific running backs in NFL history.

Sanders - Both Barry and Deion Luwynn Sanders are memorable players, the former for his exceptional skills at running back with the Detriot Lions and the latter for his dual-sport ability, playing both baseball and football professionally.

Sayers - Gale Eugene Sayers had a highly successful career at running back with the Chicago Bears, but is also well-known as one half of the friendship with Brian Piccolo, which was portrayed in the movie Brian's Song.

Starr - As quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, Bryan Bartlett "Bart" Starr won the NFL championship (precursor to the Super Bowl) three times and the Super Bowl two times in the 1960s.

Thorpe - James Francis "Jim" Thorpe was one of the best all-around athletes in American history, competing in professional football, baseball, and basketball, as well as in the 1912 Olympics where he won two golds in the decathlon and pentathlon. Football is known to be his favorite sport, playing professionally between 1915 and 1928, for both the American Professional Football Association and its successor, the NFL.

Warner - Kurtis Eugene "Kurt" Warner played arena football before leading the St. Louis Rams to a Super Bowl win in his first year as starting quarterback in the NFL. He is considered to be the best undrafted player of all time.

Winslow - While playing nine seasons for the San Diego Chargers, Kellen Boswell Winslow expanded the tight end position to more of a pass-catcher and less of a blocker. He played in five Pro Bowls in the 1980s.


Stadium or Team Names

Bear - Chicago Bears

Bill - Buffalo Bills

Bronco - Denver Broncos

Chief - Kansas City Chiefs

Colt - Indianapolis Colts

Cowboy - Dallas Cowboys

Falcon - Atlanta Falcons

Jaguar - Jacksonville Jaguars

Jet - New York Jets

Lambeau - Home field for the Green Bay Packers, named after the founder of the team, Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau.

Raider - Oakland Raiders

Raven - Baltimore Ravens

Soldier - Home field for the Chicago Bears, serving as a memorial to American soldiers who have died in wars.

Steeler - Pittsburgh Steelers

Texan - Houston Texans

Titan - Tennessee Titans


Football Terms, Positions, or Related Items:

Blitz - When the defense charges into the offense's backfield.

Gunner - The player who lines up closest to the sideline during a punt and rushes down the field in an attempt to tackle the receiver of the punt, often one of the fastest players on the team.

Rudy - Rudy is considered one of the best football, and sports, movies of all time.

Pat - The abbreviation for Point After Touchdown, or the extra point.

Punter - One of the kickers on the team, who concentrates on punting.

Rush - Either running with the ball on offense or putting pressure on the quarterback on defense.

Spike - The quarterback may spike the ball after the snap in order to stop the clock, but also loses a down.

TD - The abbreviation for touchdown. Maybe it wouldn't be used as an actual name, but as a child's initials it could be a compromise between a non-sports-loving parent and a sports-loving parent.

Tuck - A player tucks the ball in as he carries it.

Vince - The winner of the Super Bowl receives the Lombardi Trophy, named after head coach of the Green Bay Packers, Vincent Thomas "Vince" Lombardi. He led the team to win the first two Super Bowls in the 1960s.

Would you consider using a football-inspired name for your baby?

Check out my similar posts for baseball-inspired and hockey-inspired names.

Some of the above information was gathered from Wikipedia.